Karate kid punch taxi driver
AN INTERNATIONAL karate king jabbed an Ayr taxi driver during a row over payment.
But Cameron MacAlister, 21, from Dunoon, was admonished at Ayr Sheriff Court because of his "accomplished" character.
The court heard how MacAlister had been on a six-hour bender at Ayr Racecourse on August 14 last year before calling on a taxi to take him to Ayr town centre.
Cabbie James Anderson picked up teaching assistant MacAlister, who represents Scotland at karate and teaches children the sport.
And when he asked for the fare at Boswell Park, MacAlister seized hold of him and punched him in the face.
Now MacAlister could get the chop from his job and the Scottish national team.
His lawyer said: "He needs a chance, he is somebody who has lots of things going for him.
"He has completed his studies in sports coaching and he teaches at Dunoon Grammaer as a teaching assistant.
"He works with children with additional support needs. After work he runs an after school club.
"He competes nationally and internationally in karate, he trains once a month with the Scottish team.
"He volunteers in coaching young people in karate at least 10 hours per week.
"A conviction for assault will affect him, this incident has brought him to realise what he has done is extremely wrong."
The solicitor had appealed for an absolute discharge, but Sheriff Desmond Leslie put paid to that.
He said: "It's quite clear that you are a very accomplished and outgoing person. You give a great deal to the community.
"It is very unfortunate that you have found yourself in this particular predicament but you chose to drink, you got drunk and in our law that can never form an excuse for anyone's behaviour.
"No one forced you to consume alcohol. You took the consequences of that and in your case the consequence was disinhibition.
"It was allowing the worst part of yourself to take over and you assaulted a taxi driver."
The Sheriff added: "What I will do is acknowledge that this has been a difficult time for you that will unlikely be repeated and that you stand before me deeply contrite and resentful about what happened."
source: http://www.ayradvertiser.com/news/ayr/a ... xi-driver/
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